Bruins Journal: Campbell close to returning

Gregory Campbell of the Boston Bruins said that there is “a realistic possibility” that he will play in Thursday night’s preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings at the TD Garden.Campbell broke his...

Gregory Campbell of the Boston Bruins said that there is “a realistic possibility” that he will play in Thursday night’s preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings at the TD Garden.

Campbell broke his right fibula blocking a shot by Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin on June 5 in Game Three of the Eastern Conference finals.

“It’s not a concern. I’m getting my balance back and feeling comfortable on my skates while feeling the weight of another player [leaning on him],” said Campbell.

“There’s no question that I think I’m ready. The point of preseason is to prepare. Nobody is expecting me to be in Stanley Cup Final shape, but it’s more about getting comfortable and getting into shape. The decision will be made with the coaching staff and the training staff. I want to play, I want to test myself and see how I feel in game situations.”

Coach Claude Julien said that Campbell is progressing and that there is a chance he will play against Detroit.

Down you go

The Bruins made their first cuts of training camp on Wednesday, shipping out six players.

Forwards Scott Campbell and Jack Downing and defensemen Steven Spinell and Ben Youds — all of whom are under AHL contracts with Providence — were released from Boston’s camp and will report to training camp with the P-Bruins, which opens on Monday morning at the Rhode Island Sports Center in North Smithfield.

Forward Tyler Randell and goalie Adam Morrison, who both spent part of the season with Providence last season, also were assigned to the P-Bruins. They are under entry-level contracts with Boston.

Youds played in Monday night’s preseason game in Montreal and Downing played on Tuesday against Washington. Neither scored a point. The other four players did not dress for either game.

Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli splashed cold water on the idea that Dougie Hamilton, Boston’s first-round draft pick in 2011, might start the season in Providence.

“My goal is to have him in the NHL,” Chiarelli said on Wednesday. He noted that Hamilton, Torey Krug and Matt Bartkowski have had strong camps, and that Zach Trotman and Kevan Miller also are in the hunt.

“We’re evaluating everybody. I think Miller’s been strong, too. Trotman had a real good rookie camp, and I thought he had a good game the other night. He got lost a little bit in the middle of the game, so we’re going to continue to evaluate those guys. The other D, too, but Trotman and Miller, for me, have stood out in the newcomer category also,” Chiarelli said.

“As far as those D that played last year for us, no spot is guaranteed, but their body of work is greater than these other two, so I would have them ahead.”

Robins draws praise

Coach Claude Julien was pleased with Bobby Robins’ contribution in Tuesday’s win over Washington. Robins had a fight against Dane Byers and assisted on Justin Florek’s goal.

“He’s an energy guy, he’s a guy that comes in and will bring some life to your hockey club. I thought even watching him last year there was a lot of times that [Providence] came out, not flat, but they weren’t coming out as hard as they could have. All of the sudden [Robins would] put some life into the game and would turn the tide around,” said Julien.

“For a guy who has been around for a long time, he really gets excited about playing and it shows. Nothing bothered him [on Tuesday night], he was going back and forth with [Alex] Ovechkin. He didn’t care who he was he was going to do his job no matter who the player was.”

There for all to see

Thursday night’s game against Detroit will be streamed live on Bostonbruins.com and bostonbruinsTV at 7 o’clock.